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Antidepressants or Tolkien

blooalien
17 replies
13h19m

I'm really surprised at what a challenge that turned out to be. I was certain I was gonna have no problems distinguishing drugs from Tolkien characters, but I only got 15/24 in the end. Recognized a few obvious brand names and characters, but half the time I had to resort to straight-up guessing. Some of those drug names totally sound like Tolkien characters.

ren_engineer
7 replies
12h27m

it's actually a due to a research field created/popularized by Tolkien

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonaesthetics

all about studying pleasant sounding words, big pharma uses it for naming drugs. "Cellar door" was one of Tolkien's favorite phrases, you can see variations and modifications of it in many fantasy settings

Tolkien, Lewis, and others have suggested that cellar door's auditory beauty becomes more apparent the more the word is dissociated from its literal meaning, for example, by using alternative spellings such as Selador, Selladore, Celador, Selidor
retrac
2 replies
9h30m

There's a related field, phonosemantics, about the inherent meaning of a word because of how it sounds. (Words which sound like what they should sound like are, I would guess, pleasing.) Onomatopoeia fall in this category: bang, crash, pow, glug-glug.

Teensy eensy tiny itty bitty little bit. All /e/ and /i/ front vowels. The mouth is literally closed up. Grand large vast ginormous expansive gargantuan. All /a/ back vowels. The mouth is literally relaxed and open. There are of course exceptions (big, small being notable) but English has a strong tendency in this way with size terms. Big = back and open vowel. Small = front and close vowel. This tendency isn't restricted to English; it shows up across languages in unrelated language families.

One of the classic linguistics experiments is Bouba and Kiki [1]. One of these shapes is called Bouba, and one is called Kiki. As you probably already instinctively know, the one on the right is Bouba, and the one on the left is Kiki. Arabic, Japanese, English, Swahili speakers all agree on this, with like 90% or greater concord across cultures being typical.

And one thing I noticed myself I haven't seen written about elsewhere. Take a look at the letter forms for how we write these sounds. In English: Bouba, Kiki. In Japanese: ボウバ and キキ. In Arabic: بوبا and كيكي. Bouba is written with round glyphs that enclose spaces. Kiki is written with sharp straight lines. Maybe that is just a coincidence. I haven't done a larger sampling than those three writing systems.

Other patterns tend to show up within a language, but not cross-linguistically, and are probably arbitrary associations formed simply because of existing patterns. For example with English:

* gl- : related to light -- glance, glare, glass, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, gloaming, gloom, gloss, glow

* sw- : related to a long movement - sway, sweep, swerve, swing, swipe, swirl, swoop, swoosh

The last three are very fun: swirl, swoop, swoosh. Swirl ends in -rl which literally curls (oh, there's that rl again) the tongue. A swoop ends with a stop consonant. Accordingly, it has more finality, suddenness, than swoosh. So: a bird swoops in to grab its prey. And a bird swooshes by, when it misses that prey.

[1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Booba-Ki...

indigoabstract
0 replies
6h4m

I've noticed that too. It's like some form of synesthesia, where one sense (audio in this case) influences perception in another seemingly unrelated sense (visuals).

And, perhaps related, in addition to their regular meaning, a lot of things seem to also have an inherent symbolic value. Like going up/going down, on top/at the bottom, sharp/blunt, clear/foggy, etc.

I think that most people, when asked, would prefer going up to going down, even though they have to push against gravity.

adastra22
0 replies
9h2m

"slithering snakes"

misstuned
2 replies
10h35m

There is, or was, a radio/TV company in Europe called Celador - I always wondered where the odd-sounding name came from.

collaborative
0 replies
8h46m

Also means jail keeper in Spanish

SamFold
0 replies
3h9m

Also the name of the island where the dragons live in Ursula Leguin’s books. (Written Selidor)

Semaphor
0 replies
11h15m

"Cellar door" was one of Tolkien's favorite phrases

Oh cool, so that is where Donnie Darko got it from ("the most beautiful word in the English language")

jltsiren
4 replies
12h31m

None of the drug names sounded like Tolkien characters to me. I guess native English speakers are at a disadvantage, because they are more likely to consider the names as they would be pronounced in English. The intended pronunciation is usually close to Classical Latin, which means that pronouncing the names in any other European language is likely closer to the truth. And when you pronounce the names in that language, Tolkien characters and drugs tend to sound different.

dawatchusay
1 replies
12h4m

So you were 100% correct on the test?

jltsiren
0 replies
11h58m

I got 23/24 this time, as I guessed one Tolkien character wrong. The last time I saw this test, maybe a couple of years ago, I got 24/24.

sspiff
0 replies
11h59m

I'm European and I studied Latin for 6 years in high school and yet I found the test very challenging.

fikama
0 replies
6h32m

You got me interested, could you say more about how are doing this? What exactly sounds different to you, and maybe what is your first language too. I am European but my first language is polish so in this context it is useless :P

jhbadger
1 replies
5h15m

It depends if you've read The Silmarillion or not. Pretty much all the obscure Tolkien characters are from that and had no problem recognizing them. Also, they included accent marks on some of the names which is a dead give away (I can't think of any drug name that uses those). Still, if your exposure to Tolkien is just LOTR, I could see how this could be difficult.

thedanbob
0 replies
5h3m

Also, they included accent marks on some of the names which is a dead give away (I can't think of any drug name that uses those).

There actually was one, Clédial. It caught me out because I was thinking the same thing.

steve_adams_86
0 replies
12h32m

Yeah, wow. It’s been years since I read and watched, but I expected this to be challenging for the uninitiated. That crushed me. I guess I just lost a bunch of nerd cred.

It’s bizarre that I did about as well at getting drug names correct, and I can’t say I’m well versed in those.

BerislavLopac
0 replies
9h22m

24/24 here :P

saghm
10 replies
13h27m

Two of my favorites of this genre are "Ikea Furniture or Metal Band" and "Drug or Pokemon". I did terribly at the first one since I don't know enough metal I guess, but I aced the latter, despite realizing that "Remoraid" actually does sound more like some sort of join pain cream or something than a pokemon.

crypto29
7 replies
13h22m

Let's not forget one of the first in the genre - "Programming Language Inventor or Serial Killer" https://vole.wtf/coder-serial-killer-quiz/

modeless
1 replies
11h15m

The first one I saw, and still my favorite, was "Pokemon or Big Data" https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRsfRHXPTuEXdNvUcI...

akdor1154
0 replies
9h11m

'Hadoop is a distributed system for counting words' ahaha.

tkgally
0 replies
13h9m

Excellent! The first one I remember seeing—and enjoying—was “Prof or Hobo”:

https://www.proforhobo.com/

pigeons
0 replies
11h27m

I failed Filesystem Driver Author or Murderer".

lIl-IIIl
0 replies
8h13m

My first and favorite was cheeseorfont.com, which is unfortunately has been taken over by something completely unrelated.

But that at least had an explanation: both cheeses and type foundries seem to come from Switzerland.

ekianjo
0 replies
13h2m

Not really insightful since you only have pictures to guess. You can make any murderer look nice and friendly with the right picture

MalcolmDwyer
0 replies
12h33m

My favorite was "North Korean propaganda or TED talk soundbite?"

There are a few articles about it but the actual quiz doesn't seem to be up anymore.

esprehn
0 replies
12h55m

ikeaordeath.com doesn't seem to work anymore but the game still works on the waybackmachine which is fun:

https://web.archive.org/web/20180126014527/https://ikeaordea...

Even the sound effects work!

AndrewStephens
0 replies
12h15m

You might enjoy my Planet From Dr Who or Hair Care Product game[0].

[0] https://sheep.horse/2019/5/quiz_-_planet_from_doctor_who_or_...

frutiger
10 replies
13h46m

If you’ve read The Silmarillion it’s not too difficult, as Elvish names have common construction patterns and sounds.

jonny_eh
3 replies
13h19m

This comment, its content and tone, is why I came here.

diarrhea
2 replies
12h47m
WXLCKNO
0 replies
12h32m

Thank you for this lol

93po
0 replies
3h36m

I wonder what it's like to be BrandonM and internet famous in such a niche way but also in a way that a lot of successful people recognize.

chongli
2 replies
13h31m

I’ve read the Silmarillion and I got 12/24. Granted, I read it about 25 years ago, so I probably didn’t pick up all the details of Elvish languages.

frutiger
1 replies
13h23m

About 15 years ago for me and I got 23/24. I guess YMMV.

ulizzle
0 replies
13h10m

I read it six months ago or so and I got 9/24

My consoling idea is that the medical big brother establishment lizards are huge Tolkien fans

philsnow
0 replies
10h20m

I've read the Silmarillion several times, read through [0] and [1] each once, and I still mostly got tripped up on all the kings of Gondor who sound apparently a lot like antidepressants (I got 18/24).

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Middle-Earth-Published-W... [1] https://www.amazon.com/Languages-Tolkiens-Middle-Earth-Compl...

nevster
0 replies
12h13m

20/24 - some of the choices near the end were tricky. Have read Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, History of Middle Earth 1-3

gpderetta
0 replies
9h34m

Read the Silmarillion, but only managed 20/24!

isoprophlex
7 replies
13h52m

I never knew sildenafil (marketed as viagra) acted as an antidepressant too, lol

mjfl
2 replies
13h42m

Now I'm thinking of an elf named Sildenafil.

debo_
1 replies
12h58m

Sire of Erecthelion, who slew Gothmog the High Captain of the Balrogs at the battle of Gondolin.

xarope
0 replies
12h14m

if I saw Erecthelion, I might have clicked on Tolkien...!

jonny_eh
1 replies
13h18m

Antidepressant-like activity of sildenafil following acute and subchronic treatment in the forced swim test in mice: effects of restraint stress and monoamine depletion

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5031750/

davikr
0 replies
4h48m

It is definitely not used for depression in humans, though.

rconti
0 replies
13h26m

Yep that was the first one i slapped my forehead at missing, because I actually knew what it was but figured it must ALSO be a tolkien character since I was sure it wasn't an antidepressant.

elmerfud
0 replies
13h41m

It's a curious link that they made. Many antidepressants can cause performance issues, which can be a big deal for a lot of people. Using sildenafil with it can restore that part of the vitality.

dividendpayee
5 replies
13h36m

Did anyone do worse than me? I got 11/24 :S

rconti
1 replies
13h26m

10/24. Wow. You'd think it would be hard to do worse than a coin flip. On the other hand, I guess many coin flip sets are going to end up "worse than a coin flip" :D

diarrhea
0 replies
12h44m

Just shy of 50% of coin flips will be worse than a coin flip.

officehero
0 replies
11h5m

Read most of Tolkien's books as audiobooks and this is certainly an area where audio is a much worse medium than paper. You just don't get any bells ringing from the looks of words.

missedthecue
0 replies
13h13m

10/24

It got to the point that I was saying "ok this one has to be a trap"

AdamJacobMuller
0 replies
13h29m

I felt bad about getting 12/24 which is basically "randomly guessing," somehow you did worse than random :D

throwanem
2 replies
12h30m

Sildenafil isn't an antidepressant.

nwienert
1 replies
12h25m

Side effects may be though ;)

kstrauser
0 replies
11h4m

Call a doctor if it lifts your spirits for more than 4 hours.

hdhdhegdv
1 replies
13h40m

Wtf I got sildenafil which isn’t an antidepressant or tolkien

redox99
0 replies
12h13m

Funny you got flagged by what I assume is a viagra spam bot check.

geuis
1 replies
13h6m

23 of 24. Missed the last one due to a miss click.

(I've read the Silmarillion too much it seems.)

gymbeaux
0 replies
12h30m

So 24/24

d0odk
1 replies
12h55m

Nardil is unfair

stargazer-3
0 replies
9h49m

Yes, Nárdil (or Nárndil?) could've been a Tolkien name meaning fire friend in Quenya.

cl0ckt0wer
1 replies
13h47m

Cledíal got me

munchler
0 replies
12h50m

Me too, although it's actually "Clédial". I was certain no one would market a drug with an accented character in the US.

afarviral
1 replies
12h30m

If you got a good score, was it due to drug or tolkien knowledge? Or evenly both?

CodeMage
0 replies
12h24m

Tolkien, in my case. In fact, I was a bit bummed out that I got 23/24.

Obscurity4340
1 replies
2h2m

How is Sildenafil (Viagra) an antidepressant? Never mind, don't answer that

Perceval
0 replies
1h23m

I don't think it's an antidepressant, but it does increase testosterone, and that can improve mood: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24106072/

xivzgrev
0 replies
11h3m

18/24 - at some point there was a certain pattern to the medications. But then it broke and I got 4 in a row wrong

xenophon
0 replies
12h9m

Another classic of this genre, brought to you by McSweeney's: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/armed-band-of-thugs-or-m...

whalesalad
0 replies
11h59m

I’ve often wondered - who are the Madison Avenue don Draper crews of the prescription drug world? How do they all create these terrible names, and terrible commercials around them? There’s clearly some consistency and yet it’s all insane.

vaxintar
0 replies
12h41m

23/24

but there was a few I just got lucky, Clédial got me because I didn't expect a drug to have an accent.

trs83
0 replies
13h20m

This is beautiful.

speed_spread
0 replies
13h26m

Why not both? Speedrun the damned ring back to fucking Mordor. Up yours, Sauron!

second_brekkie
0 replies
12h14m

21/24 That was fun, also surprised by the difficulty.

Kept slipping up on the less known Gondorian kings.

Also if your a filthy casual like me and cba to re-read the Silmarilion, Nerd of the Rings is a, solid YT channel.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCW0gH2G-cMKAEjEkI4YhnPA

rossdavidh
0 replies
13h10m

21/24, and I have to say that there were a lot more tough calls than I expected. One wonders if reading JRRT's works has been tested as an antidepressant. I think "Farmer Giles of Ham" was pretty upbeat...

nindalf
0 replies
12h36m

21/24.

I’ll atone by re-reading now.

leed25d
0 replies
14h0m

Enigma

lIl-IIIl
0 replies
8h17m

From the tweet that inspired this game:

"Three rings to block reuptake of neurotransmitters And to the post-synaptic receptor bind them."

ivraatiems
0 replies
12h19m

For anyone who is looking for information on the different kinds of antidepressants mentioned in this game (which I failed most completely despite being broadly familiar), here is a great article from Dr. Scott Siskind (aka Scott Alexander of SlateStarCodex/AstralCodexTen): https://lorienpsych.com/2021/06/05/depression/

I am not a huge fan of Siskind on all things but he has a great ability to explain complex topics simply when he is an expert, and he is on this.

g-b-r
0 replies
12h53m

How not finishing the Silmarillion comes back to bite you

erickhill
0 replies
10h56m

Reminds me of the classic Sporcle quiz: "Drug or Pokemon?" https://www.sporcle.com/games/LinkinMarc/drug_or_pokemon

(and just as baffling)

edgarvaldes
0 replies
13h40m

Like that classic Pokemon or Big Data

bigmattystyles
0 replies
13h41m
asimpleusecase
0 replies
11h40m

20 out of 24 not too bad.

TOGoS
0 replies
12h33m

Having recently listened to the Lord of the Rings audiobooks (the read by Andy Serkis ones) I thought this was going to be about escaping into fantasy novels as a way of keeping oneself sane without having to resort to drugs. I also found them to be one of the only effective means of occupying my mind as I was trying to fall asleep so that I didn't ruminate myself into insomnia, which of course would leave me in a worse mood the next day.

PlunderBunny
0 replies
13h36m

The wonderful McSweeney's Internet Tendency [0] has a lot of this type of humour.

1. https://www.mcsweeneys.net

ChrisArchitect
0 replies
13h39m

(2020)

From it's previous home on https://antidepressantsortolkien.now.sh/